A proposal that does not advance our understanding of hypnosis
Author
Summary, in English
In his paper Hypnosis Reconsidered, Resituated, and Redefined
(JSE 26(2):297–327), Adam Crabtree, a distinguished expert in the history of hypnosis, maintains that contemporary hypnosis research suffers from conceptual disorder. In his words, he attempts to redefi ne hypnosis in order to provide a stronger ground for future research. We find that his proposed reconsideration of hypnosis as a form of “trance” characterized by a focus
on internal stimuli and involving the recruitment of appropriate subliminal resources is neither novel nor helpful to our current understanding of hypnosis. Among the problems we find with his paper is that it is conceptually unclear and is not informed by current research and theory; for instance, it disregards well-established findings such as individual differences in responsiveness to hypnosis and the importance of suggestion for the elicitation
of hypnotic phenomena. Historical knowledge of a field is invaluable
but is alone insufficient to understand its current status or propose pathways for future research and theory.
(JSE 26(2):297–327), Adam Crabtree, a distinguished expert in the history of hypnosis, maintains that contemporary hypnosis research suffers from conceptual disorder. In his words, he attempts to redefi ne hypnosis in order to provide a stronger ground for future research. We find that his proposed reconsideration of hypnosis as a form of “trance” characterized by a focus
on internal stimuli and involving the recruitment of appropriate subliminal resources is neither novel nor helpful to our current understanding of hypnosis. Among the problems we find with his paper is that it is conceptually unclear and is not informed by current research and theory; for instance, it disregards well-established findings such as individual differences in responsiveness to hypnosis and the importance of suggestion for the elicitation
of hypnotic phenomena. Historical knowledge of a field is invaluable
but is alone insufficient to understand its current status or propose pathways for future research and theory.
Department/s
Publishing year
2012
Language
English
Pages
329-339
Publication/Series
Journal of Scientific Exploration
Volume
26
Issue
2
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Society for Scientific Exploration
Topic
- Psychology
Keywords
- hypnosis
- suggestion
- trance
Status
Published
Research group
- CERCAP (Center for Research on Consciousness and Anomalous Psychology)
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 0892-3310